Happy Memorial Day!
While taking a moment to remember those Americans who have died in service to their country, I hope we are also enjoying food, friends, and family this weekend. For those of use fortunate enough to have a day of sunshine, it is also a good time to start taking a look at photovoltaic cells!
Photovoltaic (PV) cells , which you may also know as solar powered cells, convert light into electricity. A basic explanation of the cells functioning lies in the semiconductor material used in the construction. As photons from the sunlight hit the semiconductor material, electrons are knocked loose. These electrons are forced to flow in a single direction by the material, which generates the electrical current. And there you have it, power!
Actually, it isn’t quite that easy or simple and there are still some challenges to be overcome by PV cells, namely low conversion efficiencies and the rising cost of silicon (which is the primary semiconductor component used for PV cells). So while it is still cost prohibitive for many of us to install solar panels in our homes, there are other ways that we can take advantage of PV cells that are more exciting than the old solar powered calculator, especially in this age of cell phones.
A major challenge for mobile electronics users is power. Its amazing how one can browse through the web, check and send e-mail, listen to music, update our status, or write a blog entry from a phone.. amazing until the battery drops dead. Which for some of us, has lead to the stashing of chargers in our cars, offices, and around our homes. If you are one of these people, you may be interested in a portable solar charger.
Portable solar chargers generate power from sunlight and then store it in a battery so that you can charge something later, when you need it. Due to the low efficiencies of PV cells, its not possible to rely on most of these chargers as a primary power source. However, the mobility of a solar charger can not be beaten as they provide power when you are nowhere near an outlet. The Green Tech Shop sells several different types, such as Solio hybrid chargers or Voltaics’ line of solar bags. I hope to cover more of these in the upcoming weeks so please check back for more details.
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